Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-06-24
THE PIONEERS STORY.

terror Of the state, among the trees and
the meadows, where the contrast with
city ways was both healthful and inspir-
ing. Now, in the evening of life, he
came here to stay with a f~avorite grand
con, in q pleasant home in the West End.
The frosts Of sighty-two winters had
whitened his hair, but had not in the least
dimmed his eye nor bent the stalwart
form which in youth had faced the wild
beasts of the great wilderness which then
covered the state of Ohio. Aife of out
door activity had strengthened a vigorous
constitution to almost iron hardness, and
he had never known the Encouragement
Of a days illness or the tyranny of a
doctor. He was always ready for a frolic
with the children, to whom he was
blindly devoted, his especial favorite being
little Polly, as mischievous q sprite as
ever wheedled a doting grandparent. The
other evening Polly was curled up in the
old mans lap as he sat before the fire.
The talk had been about ''old times, "and
finally when Polly began teasing for a
story, the old man fell to musing, and
after a little he answered:
Don't b'ieve / know n stories,
Polly, though he looked wonderfully like
he did.
.'Tell us somethin' bout when you wa
q boy, gran'pa," said she.
'I'm afeard tn little girls now wouldn't
keer much for hearin' bout things in
them days. We didn't hev much o any
thing like sou hev now. Things hev
changed sTonderf1y, Polly. wonderf'ly.
E folks who del then could only be
walked up now, they'd stare, l guess.
They wouldn't know any thing they used
70, I'll bet, n tests likes not they'd
blieve they'd made a mistake m walked
up'n tn wrong world. M l guess Z
you'd see some o. them you wouldn't
s'pose they b'longed 'roun' here, either.
tn best dressed men an wimen them
days he'd to put up 18th homespun for
Sunday clothes, n glad enough to get
'em, too. One o. them critters you call
dudes nd faint away Y he'd hev to
dress up like one o. the handles when /
wuz a boy. l remember one o. them
dandies, Sim Peters his name wuz, use
ter come courtin' my oldest sister, Jane,
when ] wuz o good smart chunk NV a
boy. Use ter be or han every Sunday
night, an he'd never hev much to say,
hut he'd look lots o. things out a pair o.
watery blue eyes. Sister Jane didn't
paw no 'tention to him for a long time,
n when she did it wuz cause she took a
big intrust in Citing him out o. tn way
whenever Dick Ballor wuz around.
Dick married her arter while, n ! useter
live I hs house more'n half my time
fore ! growed up, cause Jane wuz my
favorite sister, n Dick took a notion to
me, ennyhow. They lived bout a mile
from my fathers house, cross the creek,
n them days fishin' wuz fishin', n /
usedter manage to put in q heap O time
ut il, making mother think I was at
James, n Jane think l WIZ at home.
But ! most alters got forgiveness Z my
luck'd be good, n il most alters wuz.
They wuz nice fish, too, them days, h"
.'Grandpa," said Polly, severely.
Yes"
''You haven't told us a thing about
how Sim Peters was dressed"
Sim Peters! Oh, yes; forgot nigh all
about him. Well. along to'ards tn last,
he seemed & think he wouldn't hev no
sort o. luck courtin' Mess he got spruced
up; goods III very best-real fash'nble,
you know. Them days backwoodsmen
like III wuz fixed up Z tn mines 4 we
had a buckskin suit. Sim he got a real
nice buckskin suit made, it'll fringes
along tn seams o. tn pants, n on tn
front n ON tn bottom o. tn coat-hunt-
in shirt. they called ii. Looked nice, I
tell ye, n Sim wal prouder'n a peacock
IN il. He'd wore it once or twice afore
Sunday got along, n when that day
came be put it on agin, n could hardly
wait for %evenin', he wuz so anxious TO
show il off afore his sweetheart. He
lived bout two miles an a half from our
house, but you could save bout half a
mile in winter time when tn swamp
wuz frozen over by walkin' straight
across on tn ice, n Sim didn't miss tn
chance 10 economic time that night.
Tn dogs didn't know him at first n
wuzn't goin' to let him in, till father
went out n set him down afore tn fire.
Sim wuz always bashfuI, n he wuz
worse'n ever that night, cause Dick wuz
there, n seemed on mighty good terms
18th sister Jane. Besides, he'd met it'll
an accident. Comm cross tn ice In tn
swamp. he'd broke through n got wet
above tn knees, n his fine, new suit
didn't show 10 good advantage, n he felt
mean, tho he wuz 80 much in love Z
he'd a faced O lion for Janey's sake. 8
he wuz all wet father jest made him set
right down near tn fire n dry himself.
Purity soon he seemed to get more COM.
fort'ble, n KEEP his eyes on Janey like be
wuz afraid she'd get away Y he didn't
watch her. She KEEP IN laughin' n
talkin', first 18th him n then it'll Dick,
havin' a real nice time, like a girl allays
hez when she hez two fellers to play off
agin one another. All to once ! saw her
kinder stop n seem puzzled when she
said somethin' TO him. but IL wuz all
right in a mint; but it wuzn't i've min
utes afore she looked puzzleder n ever:
After that she seemed 10 try 10 avoid
lookin' at Sim, n jest KEEP up n ever
lnsfin' chatter it'll Dick n seemed mighty
tichled bout tn least little thing at nd
never make her smile afore. She got
redder n q piney, partly cause she
wanted 20 laugh n didn't dare to, !
thought. N ! got wonderfully intrusted
IN what wuz tn matter 18th her. At last
che jest mickercd right out, n Dick he
broke out n a horse laugh s he looked
toward Sim. I'D bin 20 intrusted In
watchin' Jansy's p!nnts = ! hadn't